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Hurricane Irene Leaves Mass Destruction in Its Wake (2930)

The devastation included more than 4.5 million people without power, at least 25 dead, many downed trees and severe flooding in parts of North Carolina, New York, New Jersey and Vermont. Many people turned out for Sunday Mass, in spite of dispensations.

Irene hit the United States as an 87mph hurricane in North Carolina on Saturday, Aug. 27, and left the country as a weakened 60-mph tropical storm late Sunday, Aug. 28.

In its wake, it left more than 4.5 million people without power, at least 25 dead, many downed trees and severe flooding in parts of North Carolina, New York, New Jersey and Vermont.

In parts of northern New England, New Jersey and upstate New York, the nearly 17 inches of rain turned already swollen creeks and rivers into raging torrents. In New York City, an 8-foot Atlantic storm surge sent floodwater into Lower Manhattan, and the Hudson River was overflowing its banks in places.

Flooding was widespread throughout Vermont, where hundreds of people were told to leave Montpelier, the capital city. Water crested overnight at 19 1/2 feet. Vermont’s Emergency Management Department said that 260 roads were affected by the flooding, many of them underwater, and as many as six covered bridges had been destroyed.

Parts of downtown Brattleboro and Bennington were under water Sunday. At least nine shelters have been set up across the state for those who needed them.

“This is the worst I’ve ever seen in Vermont,” said Mike O’Neil, the state emergency management director.

North Carolina, where the hurricane was strongest, has begun cleaning up. Some areas of the Outer Banks, such as Hatteras Island, Duck, Rodanthe and Ocracoke, have been cut off from the mainland by high water.

Consulting firm Kinetic Analysis Corporation was estimating the total losses from the storm at approximately $7 billion. Yet it may be too early to say.

Officials said that damage from the storm isn’t over. They expect that rivers may not crest until Tuesday or Wednesday, warning that it’s not just a 24-hour event.

New York City, which had issued an evacuation order for 370,000 residents, said that residents could return to their homes on Sunday. Subway, bus and train service, which had been shut down in an unprecedented decision by the mayor, was slowly being restored on Monday. Airline flights were also being rescheduled. More than 11,000 flights were canceled because of the storm.

As of Monday morning, the death toll from the storms was at 25, with many of the victims being struck by falling trees or as a result of drowning. The toll included victims in Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Virginia.

Meanwhile, millions of residents in all of the states hit by the storm remain without power. Power companies have said it could be several days before power is completely restored.

Mass Disturbance

The storm hit the Eastern seaboard just as Sunday morning worship services were at their peak. While most Catholic Masses still took place, dioceses urged parishioners to be careful. Providence, R.I., Bishop Thomas Tobin issued a dispensation releasing the faithful from the weekend’s Masses because of the “predicted arrival of Hurricane Irene and the dangers associated with that storm.”

The bishops of Brooklyn, Rockville Centre and New York did the same.

“Catholics take Sunday Mass very seriously, but the Church never asks us to risk our health or safety to get to church on the Lord’s Day,” said New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

The Diocese of Springfield, Mass., also told parishioners that they should remain home if the weather was bad.

“We have not issued an across-the-board suspension of services,” said Mark Dupont, Diocese of Springfield spokesman. “We’ve told parishioners to use their best judgment and follow the advice of local officials.”

Most did decide to stay home. St. Michael’s Cathedral in Springfield, which is typically full, had no more than a dozen people attending any of the church’s Sunday Masses.

The power at St. Hugh of Grenoble in Greenbelt, Md., went out at 4am Sunday morning, when the height of the storm was hitting Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland.

Despite the lack of power, 300 congregants — nearly half of the Church’s membership — showed up for the three Masses on Sunday morning. All three services were celebrated by candlelight.

“Half of the congregation came in really dreadful conditions, in the dark, when they had essentially been given a free pass from the archdiocese,” said Father Scott Hurd. “I was really proud of them.”

Many in North Carolina, where the hurricane struck Saturday, attended church Sunday morning to pray and give thanks that the storm wasn’t worse.

The Diocese of Raleigh, N.C., was expecting to take up a special collection in all of its parishes for Catholic Charities to provide shelter, food and other basic necessities.

Said Frank Morock, communications director for the Diocese of Raleigh, “The faithful of the diocese, whether the disaster is in the diocese or anywhere, always respond generously.”

Comments

I went Saturday instead (which I try to do anyway-it’s mostly adults…early 30s and up).
Here in Chelmsford MA, we were very fortunate…we didn’t lose power, didn’t lose cable, all was well except for a few lost branches (I get more damage from a blizzard). A pokeweed plant (non edible-very poisonous) got knocked over, but it needs to be cut back to the ground anyway.
We don’t get hurricanes dead on, that often (last one was in 1991), and when we do, it’s usually either a Category 1 or tropical storm by the time it gets here.

Posted by Steven on Tuesday, Aug 30, 2011 6:56 PM (EDT):

While it’s of scant comfort to those who lost a loved one or a home, a business or a town that lost a longtime landmark, such as the 40 people who died during the storm and its immediate aftermath, the suddenly homeless and the shocked Vermonters who watched a part of their town literally sucked into a raging river ... it could’ve been far worse given the size of the storm, estimated to be as large as Europe itself by one account. Not far from where I live there are towns that can’t be reached except by helicopters, parts of Historic Deerfield (MA) Village are underwater and the Connecticut River is carrying debris and much floatsam down river at a fast clip, endangering bridges and dikes.
I can only share what I’m familiar with in my neck of the woods, but we can all pull together and pray for everybody affected by this huge storm. And we can all give prayers of thanks for our public officials who did great work in making sure another Katrina didn’t occur again, but especially another Katrina on such a much bigger scale.
Sure makes a difference when a president appoints people with the skills and logistical know-how to get the job(s)done. I watched Mr. Fugate, FEMA’s head a couple of days before landfall and was very impressed with his grasp of “disaster logistics,” for lack of a better phrase.
She could’ve been worse, far, far worse. But try telling that to North Carolinians, Virginians, people living around Philly, in New Jersey, upstate New York, isolated hill towns of western MA and the very isolated and more mountainous Vermonters.

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